The Loss of Love
by queenofsadness
Summary: Chloe's lifelong obsession leads to the death of a small town's princess and to the end of her friendship that could have been more. Please R/R.
1. The Beginning

Spoilers: For Tempest

Disclaimers: I don't own any characters from Smallville (but Tom is my mistress). This disclaimer goes for all of my stories (forgot to put them up, sorry)

            At a weather forecasting center in Wakefield, Virginia, Brian Pullian was checking the nation's weather radar for signs f disturbing weather patterns. All patterns looked normal except for activity in the nation's heartland. Three separate storm cells were all heading east and if they stayed on their current path, they would eventually converge and combine to create a huge cell of storms that could wreak havoc on any town or city that they came upon. Brian copied the radar picture and sent warnings to many of the nation's weather forecasting centers including Kansas. " They are in for a big treat," said Brian to himself as he watched the blips on the screen move closer to the unsuspecting states.

            Lana Lang was driving along the deserted highway back toward Smallville, teary-eyed. The wind howled outside and dirt flew into a cloud around the truck. A huge chunk of debris fell into the road and Lana swerved to avoid hitting it but landed in a ditch. Her head hit the steering wheel but it did not render the girl unconscious. Lana tried to open the door but it would not budge. Lana then rammed her petite shoulder into the door and still it did not move. Her shoulder still ached from her first attempt but Lana was persistent and the door buckled under the pressure. Lana crawled out and the sharply blowing wind blew her hair into her face and she pulled her hair out of her eyes just in time to see the three gray-white funnels dance around each other before combining into one super funnel. The sight mesmerized her until she saw the funnel completely decimate a barn in less than a few seconds. She ran and jumped into the cab of the truck. Lana used all of her strength to close the door against the howling wind. She tried to use her cell phone to call for help but all she heard was static in her ear. The funnel was moving closer as Lana tried to start the truck but it would not start. " Come on, come one," whispered the girl like a mantra. Again she tried to start the truck but the engine rumbled but did not roar to life. Lana did not try again because the funnel was now consuming the truck and she felt the truck begin to life up, the jerky movement brought Lana's head back to the steering wheel and this time it did succeed in knocking the diminutive brunette unconscious.

            Clark Kent ambled toward the punch bowl when a hand touched his shoulder. " Hey, Pete." " What's up, Clark." " Nothin much, bro." " Looks like Chloe is having a good time," said the young man who was gazing at his female friend. " Yeah, she is," said Clark as he watched Chloe laugh at something that someone had said. She was so very beautiful to him but he had never told her that before tonight. " I like these guys," said Clark who pointed at the band that was playing on stage. " " Yeah, that's Remy Zero, I love this band, YEA REMY ZERO!!!!" Just then the band switched from a catchy dance tune to a slow ballad. " Hey this is Chloe's favorite song," said Pete who was searching the nicely decorated gym for his foxy dance partner. " I know, why do you think I requested it," said Clark to his best friend as he made his way to Chloe. Pete just smiled after his friend. Chloe spotted him way before he got to her. " Can I have this dance?" " Of course, you may." Clark took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. She smiled up at him and Clark smiled at the sight of her beautiful smile. " My dancing lessons helped," she said smiling. He nodded, his gaze fastened onto her face. 

            Suddenly, the only noise that Chloe heard was the softness of the music and the rapid beating of her own heart. Clark was leaning down toward her, he wanted to kiss her not Ms. I'm perfect Lana Lang. Chloe tightened her arms around him and rose slightly onto her tiptoes. They were not even millimeters apart when the microphone screeched with feedback. Her dream-like state was broken and Chloe wanted to curse the timing of the dance coordinator. " Excuse me but we just wanted to inform you that Smallville has been issued a tornado warning so we want to get everyone into the basement ASAP just to be on the safe side." Chloe turned to see Clark's brow furrowed. " What's wrong?" " Lana might still be at the bus station." " I'll call her." Clark was quiet and Chloe saw that look in his eyes; he was going to leave her so she did the first thing that came to mind. He looked surprised when she grabbed his hand as she held the phone to her car. He didn't fight it either but Chloe could feel his tension. Nell picked up the phone. " Hi Nell, this is Chloe Sullivan I was wondering if Lana made it home. Chloe listened to the woman as she kept her eyes trained on Clark. " She did, oh okay, thank you. I was worried." She hung up the phone. " Nell said that Lana was pulling up into the driveway." Clark looked as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders but his brow was still wrinkled. " Are you sure?" " That's what Nell said, why would she lie to me, Clark." He shrugged and stayed silent. " Come on, guys, everyone is going to the basement," said Pete as he passed them. Hands still linked, they followed the throng of people that were headed for the school's basement.

            Clark had no reason not to believe Chloe and Nell but something in his gut was telling him that Lana was still in danger. The feeling was almost stifling but Clark pushed the feeling aside, focusing on Chloe's nervous babbling. She only babbled when she was scared, it was one of the many idiosyncrasies that Clark noticed of Chloe, so Clark have her hand a comforting squeeze. She looked up at him and he saw her fear through her smile. " It'll be okay, Chlo." " It is now," she said as they descended into the darkness that was the basement.

            Lana opened her eyes and saw only bright white light. " Where am I?" ' You're with us now, honey," said a familiar voice. " Mommy," said Lana in a little girl's lost voice. " Yes, honey, its me." Lana looked up and into her own eyes that she got from her mother. " Hello princess." " Daddy," she cried out happily as she hugged them both. Then a dark cloud of realization rained on Lana's happy reunion. " I'm dead." They both nodded. " But I was so young, I wasn't supposed to die." " You are right, you weren't supposed to die but your guardian angel wasn't there to save you." " What, my guardian angel?" Her mother held a crystal ball in her hands and Lana looked into and saw the fog turn into a familiar face. Clark. " He came to earth to protect you when we died and up until now, he has done that." " He did always save me," said Lana who was flabbergasted but it made a few things a little clearer, his behavior made sense. " Someone changed your destiny, you are with us now." Lana smiled but sadly mourned the fact that she never told Clark that she loved him.

            The wind outside roared, as bodies were slightly crammed into the small space of the basement. He felt Chloe shiver beside him so he took off his tuxedo jacket and threw it over her shoulders, he didn't see her smell the collar to get a whiff of his unique scent. They'd been down there for quite awhile with only the low whisper of conversation to disturb them. Clark felt Chloe's head land on his shoulder and he put his arm around her slim shoulders. She scooted closer to him and he didn't mind. She felt small and warm beside him and he rather liked it that way. He listened to her even breaths and kissed her forehead. He hoped that everything was okay but in his heart, he felt that something was terrible wrong. 


	2. The End of the Storm

                        Nell Potter opened the door and stepped out onto her veranda. With the debris and dirt flying in a heavy cloud, it was hard to see your hand in front of you let alone something down the road. Nell saw the outline of a figure walking toward the porch and she frowned. The figure wasn't Nell's petite niece because the shoulders looked as if they belonged on a linebacker. I could have sworn that it was Lana pulling up, that's what I told her friend Chloe. Nell waited for the figure to happen upon her portico. The man looked as if he had just escaped from a chase, his clothes looked rumpled but his eyes shown bright with excitement at some hidden inner knowledge. Nell did not recognize the man so she was a bit wary of his presence. " Excuse me ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you but your house was the first that I just happened to pass and I was wondering if I could find shelter here form the twisters." He had a slight drawl that was uncommon to Kansas and it was warm and syrupy like honey. " Of course and you are," asked Nell. " I 'm Roger Nixon, ma'am, it's a pleasure to me you and I would like to thank you for your hospitality." " Well I'm Nell Potter and it would probably be a good idea if we headed for the cellar." Together, they ran into the rampant winds and stinging rain. 

            Jonathan tried to see if Nixon was in front of him and the wall of mud that splashed upon his windshield did not help matters, visually. Jonathan realized the futility of his searching so he stopped the truck and prayed that the twisters didn't pass over him. " No one will expose my son, no one," he said vehemently to no one but himself.

            Pete looked over at his two friends huddled together and he smiled. Finally, they saw what he saw, that they were made for each other. Pete did not want to think about the sadness that enveloped him now that Clark and Chloe were together but he needed to escape from his fantasy world and see that Chloe would never see him the romantic light because she was too infatuated with Clark. He sighed and then glanced at his date who was sleeping gently beside him. All of his bravado was an act to impress Chloe but she didn't see it. 

            The twisters raged for another 2 hours then they abruptly stopped. The wind ceased to howl loudly and the rain that fell ceased to sound like bullets against the glass of the school. " Alright, students, it is now safe to go outside; the twisters have stopped and may I say that you all did wonderfully tonight." No one heard the dance coordinator because they were too worried about getting home and seeing to their families. Clark gently shook Chloe awake. " Hey, Chlo, we can go now; the twisters have stopped." Chloe looked at him with a sleepy stare but said," Good, I hope that the Talon is open cause I need some coffee." Clark laughed and followed her outside. The sun shined brightly but debris was scattered all around the parking lot; students surveyed the area looking to see their cars had been damaged. Clark felt the dark clouds in his heart overpower the warmth and promise of the sun. Something had definitely gone awry, he felt it in his bones; something was definitely wrong. 

            Roger Nixon listened intently at the lack of sounds outside and praised God, it was all over and he wanted to shout. He looked over at Nell who had fallen asleep in the dimly lit cellar. He had to move quickly so he threw on his jacket and raced up the stairs. He threw open the cellar door and was temporarily blinded by brightness of the sun. He practically skipped to his car; he was going to be in the newspapers soon with a big headline above his picture. Except the headline in his head would contrast with the one that they would print. Roger started the car and pulled out of the Potter driveway. He had only traveled a mile or so when he felt someone intentionally ram into his BMW sedan. His neck snapped back with the force of the impact. Kent. Well, the man was certainly fired up about nothing, smirked Roger, replaying in his head the man's vehement denials of his son's special powers. Roger pressed down more heavily upon the gas and his car pulled up ahead of Kent's truck but Kent stayed on his tail. Kent rammed him twice more but it seemed that the fourth time proved to be the charm. Nixon veered sharply to his left to avoid a huge piece of debris that was planted in the middle of the road and he ran his car into a ditch that just happened to contain flammable materials. The impact of the crashing car was enough to ignite the flammable chemicals and an explosion soon followed. Fiery bits of automobile began to rain down as Jonathan looked on from the safety of his truck. Satisfied, he turned toward Nell's house, he needed to see about a few things. 


	3. Revelation

                        Barb Stratton sat in the passenger seat of the van as it ambled along the long stretch of Kansas highway. They were rushing to get to the station at the request of their boss. Larry, the cameraman, was in the back loading film into his faithful video camera. " I heard that Smallville was hit especially hard by the twisters," said Barb to her small crew. " Hey isn't Smallville the place that had a meteor shower in like 1989." " Yes, Larry you would be correct, the boss wants us to play off of that."  " I bet you already have a headline, Barb." " As a matter of fact I do, Larry, Natural Disasters Plague Small Town," she said smiling to herself but something on the side of the road caught the young reporter's eye. " Davey," she yelled to the driver of the van," STOP!!!!" The baby-faced driver stopped the van as Barb got out. " Come on, Larry." Larry quickly jumped out of the van, armed with his camera, as Barb hurried to the ditch by the side of the road. There in the ditch half-covered with mud lay the face down body of a young girl, her raven hair fanning across her back. Barb's hawk eyes caught sight of an object partly submerged in the mud and she pulled the small wallet from its murky burial grounds. Larry protested Barb's invasion of the corpse's right to privacy but it went unheeded. " Larry, I'm a reporter, I slept through my ethics class and I doubt that the girl will protest; this could be the beginnings of a great story." Barb flipped through the various cards and pictures that that were enclosed in their leathery prison. " Larry, turn on the camera," said Barb whose adrenaline was pumping through her veins because she felt the beginnings of a first class story. Larry hesitated before he flipped the switch that turned on his camera and started the countdown for Barb. At Larry's signal, Barb began her monologue.

 " Just inside of Smallville county limits, my crew and I happened upon presumably the first victim of the worst natural disaster to hit this sleepy little town since 1989 when Smallville was assailed by a shower of meteors. The girl is identified as Lana Lang of Smallville, Kansas, this is truly a sad moment for me and my heartfelt condolences go out to this girl's family. I will keep you posted on new development in this story." 

Larry turned off the camera and marveled at Barb's use of theatrics. She had seemed truly in mourning, that's why she was such a beloved reporter because part of her did sympathize with the audience. " Let's go, guys, we have to get to the station with this."  Larry and Barb trudged back to the van and the road ate their dust as they sped off to meet their deadline. 

Nell opened her eyes to find her cellar door opened wide. She sighed wishing that she were not so alone. " Oh well, I'll just wait for Lana to come home." She heard another car pull up into the drive and she raced up the stairs. " Lana," she yelled while still running. " It's just me, Nell," said a familiar voice that still haunted her dreams. " Hello, Jonathan," said Nell breathlessly. " This isn't a social call Nell." " I don't mind that it isn't, it's always a pleasure to see you, Jonathan." " Did a reporter stop by here while the twisters were touching down?" " Yes as a matter of fact one did. His name was Roger Nixon." " When did he leave," asked Jonathan who unbeknownst to Nell already knew the answer to his inquiry. " Well, when did the storms stop?" " About a half hour ago." " He most likely left right when they ended then, he wasn't there when I woke up." " Did he tell you about a big story that he was working on?" Nell wondered why Jonathan was giving her the third degree but answered him anyway. " He hinted towards a huge story but he pretty tight-lipped about it when I questioned, why do you ask?" " Just wondering," said Jonathan who acted as if he didn't see Nell's disbelieving gaze. " Well, I must head back to the farm to check on Martha, I'll see you around Nell." " You're welcomed here anytime, Jonathan," said Nell hoping she didn't sound as desperate as she was. She watched him drive off and sighed heavily. She still loved him even after all these years. Sad and feeling more lonely than she did before, Nell headed back toward the house to wait for Lana to return. A thought briefly flitted through her mind; she wondered how Jonathan's fender got so banged up.

At the T.V station in Smallville, KWSM, Bob Owens paced his office. " Where the hell is Barb," he yelled. No one answered him. " She better get here quick and she better have a good story for me." He continued to pace his small office.

" Come on, Clark, I'll take you home," said Chloe after they got checked by the EMT's that swarmed the school. " Yeah, I want to see my mom and dad, I hope the farm didn't get damaged." " What about Lana?" " What about Lana," asked Clark? " Don t you want to check to see if Lana's okay." " Yeah, I'll check on her as soon as I check on my parents and the farm." Chloe shrugged and slipped into her bucket o' junk as she liked to call her car. It took a little time but Chloe finally got the old relic started. She gazed at Clark's profile as she drove and he looked in a pensive mood. " I'm sure every thing is alright. Clark." He didn't say anything; he just covered her hand with his. She smiled at him while she melted inside. She had waited for this so long and all of her dreams were coming true but something was amiss. Chloe had a premonition that all of her happiness would be robbed away and she saw Lana as the thief. She pushed the thought away but the strength of the premonition scared her because Chloe somehow knew that the premonition would come true.


	4. The Beginning of Chaos

                        Jonathan stopped in front of his house to survey the damage. He thanked Go d that there was only a minimal amount of damage done mainly to the barn. He then remembered that he last saw Martha in the cellar. He rushed over to the open cellar door and peered inside. He saw nothing so he descended down the short flight of stairs. In a dimly lit corner, he saw Martha who lay upon the floor and he knew that she had fainted when he ran after Nixon. He knelt beside his beautiful wife and gently grazed her cheek with a calloused fingertip. She stirred then opened her clear hazel eyes. " Jonathan," she cried. They embraced. " I thought you had gotten sucked up by the twisters and I just," began Martha. " Shh, Martha, the important thing is that we are safe and hopefully so is Clark and his secret is safe also." " What happened to Nixon?" " Don't worry about him, he wont bother us again," said Jonathan with a glint of masculine pride gleaming menacingly in his blue eyes, He didn't see the worried look that clouded Martha's eyes as they embraced once more.

                        " Cant you speed this thing up, Davey," said Barb who sat, restless and wired with her own adrenaline, in the passenger seat. " We're almost there, Barb," said Davey calmly because he was used to Barb's almost schizophrenic mood changes. Then the T.V station building came into her sights and she looked as happy as a child in a candy store. She was out of the van even before the van came to complete stop. With the video clutched tightly to her bosom, Barb hurried into the empty office building. Everyone had been sent home at the first sign of bad weather and her team had been called in after the twisters disappeared. Barb floated into Bob's office and deposited the videotape onto his desk. Bob Owens popped out of his high-backed wing chair. " Where have you been, Barb?" " Out in the field, getting you a story." " What story?" " Watch it, Larry edited it in the van," said Barb who loved to brag about the fact that her van was equipped with the technology to edit their own tapes. Bob Owens inserted the tape into the T.V/VCR in his office while Davey dimmed the lights. Bob's gaze was transfixed on the screen until it went black. " Lana Lang, Lana Lang," he mumbled to himself. Davey then spoke up," Lana Lang was the little girl featured on the fall cover of TIME in 89 when the meteor shower hit, she lost her parents in the shower." " By God, you are right my boy, I'll air this while you three work on a visual biography and a memorial piece on Lana Lang. The death of a small-town princess." They left Bob to himself. Barb popped the tape into the T.V feed while Davey sat at the broadcaster's booth. Larry told him to go. " Hello, everyone, this is a special news bulletin. I am Davey Morrison. We will now go to our correspondent in the field, barb Stratton." The tape began to roll.

            Chloe pulled her car to stop beside Jonathan's truck and she exited the car.  Clark was running toward the cellar just in time to see his parents emerging unharmed from the subversive shelter. " Mom, Dad," he yelled. " Clark," shouted Martha who ran into her son's outstretched arms. Jonathan completed the family circle as Chloe stood, like an outsider, just beyond them. She wished that she could run home to a loving family but that was not to be. Her father was on a business trip and Chloe's mother was non-existent. " Chloe, come on, you get in here too," said Martha. Chloe smiled and found a place close to Clark's heart in their family circle. She reveled in the warmth that the Kents created with their love for one another. " We all should go into the house for hot chocolate and apple pie," said Martha when they were done embracing,

" By the way, Chloe you look wonderful." Chloe blushed. " Yes you do look radiant, Chloe," said Jonathan," and I think some of your apple pie will do me some good." The Elder Kents went into the house, holding hands. Clark whispered into Chloe's ear," You do look beautiful, Chloe." Chloe felt herself blush again and they went inside the house, their hands clasped together between them. 

            Nell turned on the television so that she could maybe get her mind off the fact that Lana was not home yet. She hated being alone. She saw a young man sitting at the broadcaster's desk. A special report bulletin was flashing at the bottom of the screen. Then Nell saw the face of a well-known female reporter, her name escaped Nell at the moment. Nell turned up the volume and then her world was turned upside-down. 

            Whitney sat at the bar of a small diner in Metropolis and casually glanced at the small TV in the corner. A special flash news report was blinking at the bottom of the TV screen. " Hey can you turn it up a little, please," asked Whitney to the bartender. The bored bartender turned up the television set surprised that someone was interested in the news. Whitney then heard her name. She was dead. He had just left her, safe and crying. He was out of his seat in a flash, a blur of blond hair and canvas bags. There was a cabbie eating his dinner at the end of the parking lot and Whitney banged on the window hard enough to break the window. " Get me to Smallville now." " I'm off duty." " I don't care," said Whitney who threw all of his money at the cabbie. Soon they were speeding down the road. 

            Jonathan turned on the TV and saw the flashing news bulletin. " Hey guys, come here." Everyone filed out of the kitchen and into the living room. Martha sat down with Jonathan while Clark and Chloe sat on the floor in front of the TV screen.  They were not ready for the news that they were about to receive. 

            Clark listened and hoped that his fears of the night before had not been justified. He was not prepared for the next words that floated from the TV screen to his ears. The first victim of the twisters had been Lana Lang. For a moment, Clarks mind went blank. Then he remembered the dance and his worry about Lana. Chloe had soothed him. The phone call. She had said that Lana was safe at home but she was not. She was dead in a ditch, somewhere, covered in mud. He turned his head to looked into her disbelieving and wide eyes. " You lied to me," he said, his voice cold and emotionless. With that, he was gone.

            Chloe sat dumbstruck. Lana was gone; she disliked the girl but not enough to be happy about the girl's death. Then Clark had uttered those pain-ridden words that struck her heavy with guilt. I didn't lie to him; Nell had said that Lana was pulling up into the drive. " Clark!" Chloe knew now that her premonition was coming true, their love affair was over. She wanted to run after him but he would not listen to her; he was devastated." I'm going home, bye Mr. and Mrs. Kent," said sadly.

            When Chloe left, Martha said," I don't like this, Jonathan, he's hurt but Chloe wouldn't lie; this will destroy their friendship and we can't help them." " I don't know what's gong on, Martha." They sat in silence, hating that their ignorance could not keep their son form grieving and losing his best friend. 


	5. The Return of the Prince

                        Whitney barely saw the scenery fly by his eyesight, his mind was on Lana. So full of life and light was she and now all that was gone. Kent, he thought, I told him to watch her and she dies. Whitney saw a vision of her in his mind's eyes, all her straight and raven hair with her radiant hazel eyes. The cab stopped and Whitney was awakened from his reverie. " Where to?"" The Kent Farm." The cabbie drove without asking for directions so Whitney concluded that the cabbie was quite familiar with Smallville. Anger, red hot and boiling, coursed through Whitney's veins. His everything was gone, his world was no more and his heart was broken into a million pieces. Whitney didn't think that he could bounce back from this particular batch of obstacles. First, he loses his athletic scholarship then his father dies and now this, Whitney felt himself sinking back into that bottomless abyss that he had slipped into after his father's death. Lana had helped him crawl from the obscure depths of his sorrow into the light of day. " Kent Farm," said the cabbie. Whitney looked through the window to the small house. With its bright yellow paint and cheerful beds of tulips. " Wait here, this will only take a minute." The cabbie said nothing; he just looked at all the bills scattered on his front seat. Whitney exited the cab and stood there for a few moments. Then he proceeded to walk to the porch. " Okay, Fordman, cool it." He then rang the doorbell and waited. Whitney soon heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Clark's mother answered the door. 

            " Hi, Whitney." " Hello, Mrs. Kent." " Whitney, I thought you were on your way to a Marines Enlistment Camp in California." " I was but then I heard about Lana on the news." " It is so sad, she was so very young, I know you cared a lot about her Whitney." " Yes I did, Mrs. Kent, and thank you for your condolences. Is Clark around?" A worried look flashed in Martha's eyes. " Clark is taking the news kinda hard, Whitney, he's not up to visitors right now." Whitney smothered his anger and said," Oh well, I'll see him around. I'm heading over to Nell's to see how she's doing." " Please give her our condolences." " I will." " Bye, Whitney, Be safe." " Bye, Mrs. Kent, I will." Whitney returned to the cab and said," Drive down the road, I'll tell you when to stop."

            The cabbie did as he was told and drove slowly down the dirt road. Lana's house soon came into his view and Whitney felt like crying. He could not count how many times he had been to Lana's house. " Stop here," he said to the cab driver. He grabbed his one bag and exited the cab. With a heart heavy with grief, Whitney climbed   the familiar stairs and waited on the porch that was like a second home to him. He could still smell her delicate perfume as it wafted on the breeze through the still night. His heart would never mend. 


	6. Mourning

                        He was back in the cemetery. He had grown to despise cemeteries because they only served as a reminder that even with his powers, he still could not rescue everyone. He remembered that just a few weeks ago he had shared stolen glances with Lana in the rain at Mr. Fordman's funeral. Her face had been somber while her eyes told him of passions that went unsaid and now, she was gone. Her legacy had ended before it even began. He barely heard the eloquent words of the minister or the eerily ethereal sounds that accompanied death. He saw Chloe out of the corner of his eye, looking lost and alone. He knew that he was being unreasonably hostile toward her but he was in pain, she was his scapegoat and she didn't deserve to be. He knew that he could have saved Lana but Chloe had held him back. He just barely noticed when people began to leave; they were getting depressed at attending so many funerals because depression always nipped at their heels afterwards. People who were trying to comfort her surrounded Nell but they could not bring back Nell's last chance at the life that she should have had. She tried to live vicariously through her niece and that had estranged Lana from her aunt. Clark was very perceptive but he kept his thoughts to himself mostly. An angry Whitney who was bereft of his princess only pulled him from his thoughts, Lana had been his whole world and she was no longer with them. 

            " I told you to look out for her, Kent, to watch her and you let her die," said Whitney, his voice telling of his heartache. Clark bowed his head, out of guilt, and waited for the rest of Whitney's grief-ridden onslaught to rain down upon his head but it never came. " Where do you get off blaming Clark for Lana's death, Whitney?" Clark turned, surprised, to look at a red-faced and irate Chloe. After the way he had been treating her, the last thing that Clark expected from Chloe was to be protected by her. " The police said that Lana was most likely extracted form the truck by the winds of the tornado and deposited in that ditch but she was already dead from the combination of a broken neck and head trauma. Did you expect Clark to rush into a churning tornado, fly up into its depths and drag the truck and Lana safely down to the ground? " He can't do that, he's not Superman, so back off because he's probably hurting more than you could ever know."

            Whitney was silent and so was Clark, whose eyes were filled with guilt at Chloe's words because he could have flown up into that twister and brought Lana and the truck down safely to the ground. Chloe didn't understand or know how prophetic her words really were. After what seemed like an eternity, Whitney stormed off, lost in his sorrow. Chloe then turned her anger towards Clark.

            " You were going to let him berate you like a dog, Clark, that is not you." " I deserve his anger, I could have saved her." " Enough of your savior complex, Clark, you cant save everyone lord knows you try, people die. Its called immortality and its part of life." " I could have saved her Lana," began Clark but Chloe interrupted him. " Clark, just stop with this guilt trip, okay." " Chloe, you don't understand, I knew that something was wrong but you told me that Lana was okay." " Now you're blaming me," she yelled," Nell told me that she heard Lana in the driveway so that meant that Lana was okay, don't even try and put Lana's death on me." " I asked you if you were sure that she was okay." " I had no reason to doubt Nell." " I could have saved her but you held me back, Chloe." " I just wanted you to myself," said Chloe with tears in her eyes," whenever its just the two of us, you always run to be with Lex or Lana; I just wanted to spend some time alone with just you and me. I love you, Clark." He showed no indication that he heard her whispered confession. " Because you were selfish, Lana's dead, Chloe I hope you're happy." He then turned and walked away from her.

            " I love you," she whispered again as the tears began to fall. He was forever gone form her life and he heart broke with the realization. He hadn't even acknowledge her declaration of love because his heart had been captured by Lana and Lana was dead so no one else would ever be blessed enough to hold a piece of Clark's heart for themselves not even her. 

            Her world became bleak and only he could take away the pain, only he could erase the shadows that dwelled in her eyes. " I can't go on like this," she said to the silence of the cemetery trees. He had been the only thing in her life that made the world livable to her and now he was out of her reach. She got into her car and somehow found her way home, her movements seemed mechanical even to her. The first thing she did when she reached the haven of her room was sit at her desk and pulled out her pad of mauve and cream stationary that she never used. She then poured out her emotions onto the paper because she felt that she expressed herself better through verse. She hoped that he understood. When she was finished, she folded the letter and put in into a matching mauve and cream envelope. She sealed it with a kiss and a heavy heart. She wrote his name on the front and placed the latter where it would be seen, on top of her journal. 

            Then she slept the sleep of a tortured soul. She would ease the pain, somehow, soon, very soon. 


	7. Tomorrow

                        He sat staring out of his loft, his gaze steady yet unseeing. In the distance he could see her house. He never paid attention to how close they lived to each other; he was always centered on Lana's house. I love you, she had said. At the time, those three words had meant nothing to him but as soon as he had thought about it, Clark knew the significance of those words. Chloe had temporarily let down that tough façade fade, leaving her vulnerable and open to him. It was a few days after their argument in the cemetery and with each passing moment, Clark saw his errors and wondered how he could make things right with Chloe again. He had hurled accusations at Chloe when he should have directed them at himself; he had rubbed salt in an already gaping wound. Now, he sat not knowing how to fix the mess that he had created but knowing that lazing about wasn't going to solve anything. 

I love you. He never expected those three words to come from Chloe, he had waited for Lana to whisper them to him but Chloe's murmured declaration sent a warm tingle through him. Sitting alone in his loft letting the day slip into night, Clark realized that he loved Chloe. He never noticed it before because he had hidden it behind a thin veil of friendship. Lana had been the dream; she was out of his reach so he had wanted her, craved her. All the while, Chloe had been right there, waiting and loving him. He laid the dream of Lana to rest where she should have been from the get go because it would have never worked because Clark's obsession with Lana had stemmed from his guilt, the guilt that he felt because he robbed her of her parents. Tomorrow, I will straighten this out, I wont lose Chloe." He never got that feeling of dread in his stomach as he had when Lana was in trouble because Clark just knew that things were going to work out. He left the Fortress of Solitude with an added bounce in his step. All would be right in his world or so he thought.

Lana watched from her perch in the clouds. " Now, Clark, go to Chloe now." She knew that he could not hear her; it was hopeless. She felt the waves of despair and depression that radiated from Chloe. " She wont make it up here," said Lana sadly as she gazed into the future," This is how it is to be, Clark, I hope you can find happiness." You could have found it with me, said Lana wistfully, that will never happen because I'm dead but I can still wish. " Lana." They were calling her, her parents, so she pasted on a smile for them to cover the sad thoughts in her head but Clark did not fade from her mind; he never did.


	8. Too Late

                        The end of the line drew near and she saw only his smiling face. She had to escape this earthly hell because she no longer had him. Chloe was lonelier than she had ever been in her entire life. She loved him more than she loved the air she breathed; she loved him even more than she loved to write. Without him, Chloe knew that she was nothing. He brought out all the good things in her but she had to leave. She smiled at the thought of their blossoming romance and Chloe had never been happier. 

            Clark knocked on the door and waited, he heard no approaching footsteps so he rang the bell. No one came and he thought that maybe Chloe wasn't home then he scratched that thought from his mind because Chloe never got up before one on Saturdays and Clark smiled at that. After a few minutes of waiting, Clark tried the doorknob and found the door unlocked. He entered Chloe's house like he had a thousand times and called out to her.

            " I love you," she whispered as the cool blades brought her warmth rushing from her body, she didn't even feel the pain. Chloe just saw his face and he was telling that it would be all right; somehow she knew that it would be. Her eyes remained opened but their vision was blurred and her smile never waned.

            Clark opened the door to Chloe's bedroom after knocking a few times. He quickly glanced at the bed that was not slept in and the overall neatness of Chloe's room scared him because Chloe always kept her room in chaos, she said she could find things better that way. Clark's gaze was drawn to the door of Chloe's bathroom, which was slightly ajar. Clark opened the door and he wanted to claw out his eyes so that he would not be able to gaze upon Chloe as she was but the image was burned into his mind's eye. She lay gently collapsed upon the floor with blood shimmering on the tiles behind her. Her face was a mask of serenity; a smile of completion was fixated upon her lips and her eyes glassily looked up at him. 

            Chloe didn't see the pain in his eyes as he closed the lids to her cerulean eyes. She never heard the sounds of sirens rushing to her house or the desolate sobs of her father. Chloe didn't see the guilt that was harbored in his eyes as he read the letter that she had penned the day before. She was in heaven with rivers of espresso flowing from mountains of chocolate and Clark was off in the distance and smiling at her. His eyes were shining and full of love. She was in the heaven of her dreams. 


	9. Goodbye to You

                        Clark sat as still as a statue in the small church. His arm was draped around the trembling shoulders of Gabe Sullivan. Because Clark and Pete were Chloe's closest friends, Gabe had wanted the two young men to sit with him in the front pew. The minister's soft soprano voice rang out but the words meant nothing to Clark. Chloe was beyond words, she had been Chloe and that explained her more than any speech ever could. Pete shook Clark from his thoughts and inclined his head toward Chloe's open casket. Clark stood still then he began the short journey to Chloe's final divan. Pete had just whispered a few things to an unusually quiet Chloe when Clark reached the casket. Pete gave Clark a wane curling of his lips and squeezed C lark's shoulder sympathetically. 

                        It was then that Clark looked down at the pale yet pristine face of Chloe Ann Sullivan. Her lips still held that sweet smile and she looked peacefully despite her violent departure from this Earth. Clark felt a bolt of guilt shoot through him; he had been the sole cause of Chloe's downfall that led to her taking her own life. Clark had never known that kind of guilty pain or its strength, he would have preferred to fall into a gorge lined with meteors rocks but instead he was burdened the guilt of knowing that he killed his friend. " I love you, Chloe, and I'm sorry that I never told you," he whispered to her corpse. Clark leaned in and kissed her lips and for a few seconds, Chloe lips seemed to warm under his touch. A tear fell upon her cheek and Clark gently swiped it off. He returned to his place beside Gabe Sullivan, his guilt weighing so heavily upon his that Clark could hardly breathe. 

                        When the funeral service ended, Clark gladly fled the confines of the church. Clark declined a ride to the wake from various people including an apologetic Whitney Fordman. Because he just wanted to be go home and be alone. He used his super speed, exalting in the feel of the air on his temple, to jet to the Fortress of Solitude. There he threw his sports jacket and ripped his tie off before it choked him like a noose, collapsing on his couch. The letter in the breast pocket of his of his shirt beckoned. Clark unfolded the letter that was scent of her skin and read:

                        Dear Clark,

I don't know what I can possibly say to rectify the pain I've caused you. I should have let you go but my selfishness won out. I love you, Clark, more than anything in this world but I know that you do not reciprocate those feelings for me. I am sorry that Lana is gone and that you never got your chance with her, that guilt will hang over my head for the rest of my days because I know that you could have saved her despite my argument that favored the opposite. I've known of your powers for a while but I never found the right time to tell you that I knew. I saw you use your super-powers a few times and I put 2 and 2 together and I have told no one so your secret is safe with me. I wish that I could stay here with you, Clark, but I have to leave because there is nothing in Smallville for me anymore, you have disowned me (you were the only thing worth loving). I sometimes feel like I'm going to drown in this strange little town. I feel broken beyond repair without you in my life but remember that I love you more than words can say. My sadness is not your doing; it is my own faults so don't feel guilt over my plight. 

                                                            Love,

                                                **Chloe Ann Sullivan**

**              Clark felt the tears sting behind his eyes. He had always taken Chloe for granted because he believed that she would always be there and she was dead because he had been blind. " Chloe!!!!" Her name echoed throughout the barn and Clark suddenly felt emotionally exhausted. He fell asleep while his guilt sat patiently beside him, waiting for him to wake up, waiting to remind Clark of his shortcomings and their dire consequences. **


	10. Epilogue I

                        Over the years, Clark's guilt over Chloe's death waned but loss was to be a constant in his life. Months before Clark's high school graduation, Jonathan Kent died of complications from an early heart attack. The doctors had said that stress had been the trigger for his heart attack. Jonathan and Martha had been locked in a bitter war with Lex Luthor over the lands the Kents owned. Jonathan had mortgaged his lands to Lionel Luthor in exchange for Clark's phony birth certificate and important paperwork. Lionel died two years after the tornado of 2001 and Lex, Lionel's only heir, took control of LuthorCorp which he renamed LexCorp. Soon thereafter, Lex tried nicely to persuade Martha and Jonathan Kent to just sell him the land but Jonathan declined the offer and held steadfast because he didn't want to trust another Luthor. Lex had tried every approach imaginable but nothing convinced Jonathan to give up the lands that he had inherited from his father. Time and age finally caught up with Jonathan and coupled with the stress of defending his home proved to be too much for Jonathan to bear. Jonathan succumbed to higher power, leaving behind a devastated wife and child.

                        Clark had wanted to stay in Smallville to help his mother fight Lex's advances after graduating from Smallville High but Martha had other plans for her only son. Martha told Clark Jonathan had saved up quite a bit of money for him to go to college and Clark felt a familiar guilt because the money that his father had set aside could have helped to ease their financial burdens. Clark headed to Metropolis after graduation because he needed to escape the memories of all the loved ones that he had lost even with his superpowers; Clark had been unable to save them. Clark also wanted to fulfill his father's dying wish for his only son to go to college so that maybe he would not have to work that hard. Clark majored in journalism; he was paying respects to his fallen reporter friend, Chloe Sullivan, at Metropolis University. 

                        On the home front, Martha had lost the ongoing battle with Lex Luthor over the lands that she and Jonathan had nurtured with love. Just after Clark graduated from Metropolis U, Martha Clark Kent died of a severely broken heart. This is when Clark and Lex's relationship became estranged because Clark blamed Lex for the untimely deaths of both his parents. 

                        Soon after graduating from college, Clark took an intern job at The Daily Planet, a job that Chloe would have died for. This is where Clark met Lois Lane, a reporter on the rise. His reasons for falling in love with Lois were deeply rooted in his past; he still yearned for those that he loved but had lost. 


	11. Epilogue II

                        " It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

                                                                                                            Unknown

                        I sat in my apartment, my mind on events that happened ages ago it seems in another life yet they still haunted me, their scenes still vivid and fresh in my mind's eye. Sometimes I would dream of Chloe and Lana while Lois lay beside me, sated and sleeping and I would again be reminded of why I feel in love with Lois Lane. She had the quintessential beauty of Lana Lang with her raven hair and hazel eyes but she had Chloe's flair and love for writing. Lois acted as if she was tough as ails but underneath the façade, she was vulnerable just as Chloe had been when it came to matters of her heart. Lois was smart and she was determined to be the best reporter that the world had ever seen which was the same dream that shined in Chloe's eyes. This is why I feel in love with her because she was the perfect combination of the two women that I had loved as a young man but I had lost them because I was too late. I wonder, occasionally, how my life would be different if Chloe and Lana were still alive but just the thought makes me lonely and depressed. It still saddens me when I read Chloe's letter, that I just could not bring myself to destroy, because the guilt is painful yet comforting, I am human after all. 

Sorry that it's so short. J


End file.
